MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service) is used for providing the users in the wireless cells with multimedia broadcast and multicast service. The MBMS service needs to support MBSFN (Multimedia Broadcast Single Frequency Network) transmission mode during the transmission of multi-cells. See FIG. 1, which gives the relationship between MBMS service area and MBSFN synchronization area. MBMS service area is composed of one or more service identifications, each identification being mapped to one or more MBSFN areas.
When a UE (User Equipment) receiving MBMS service moves in different MBSFN areas or moves to the boundary within the same MBSFN area, source base station may conduct area handover of the UE.
At present, the source base station is mainly to select a cell of better signal quality from the measurement report of the UE and handover the UE to the selected cell.
The above handover procedure may result in the MBMS service interruption of the UE. For example, the handover target cell for the source base station according to the measurement report of the UE may be cell 2 or cell 3, supposing the cell 2 supports MBMS service and cell 3 does not support, the source base station may switch the UE to cell 3, thus leading to MBMS service of the UE become interrupted.